How should I store my laptop?

[lopdog]

I have to put away my laptop for about 3 months, should I take any special care with the battery? Should I leave it charged/discharged? Connected/disconnected?
I don't know if this is important with modern batteries, but maybe someone can clarify this. Thanks

 

[LinkedKube]

Completely discharge the battery, but that's the rule for any battery. Store the battery separated and disconnected. Maybe in a laptop bag, that would suffice.

 

[tipstir]

I would charge the battery to 100%
Shutdown the laptop and unplug the power
Remove the battery and place it into a zip-lock bag and stick it into the refrigerator on the bottom shelf away from food. (This is optional but it keeps it charged) Other than this way you place the battery in a draw or laptop bag but I find the battery will slowly discharge this way. No harm if it does.
The laptop you can stick that into a laptop bag or a draw away from dust and sticky hands.

 

[kimsland]

So what you are saying is the complete opposite to the first reply

No wonder everyone is confused about this
I note that new laptops seem to come with little or no charge, and the first recommendation is to charge it up
So does that mean they should be discharged first? Because obviously there's some experienced contradictions here.

What is the best policy? Also note that placing the sealed up fully charged battery in the fridge for 3 months may not be everyone's good feeling of safety, not that there's an issue, but most probably won't do it for that long. Plus the fridge (and all power) may be off for 3 months too

 

[tipstir]

So what you are saying is the complete opposite to the first reply

No wonder everyone is confused about this
I note that new laptops seem to come with little or no charge, and the first recommendation is to charge it up
So does that mean they should be discharged first? Because obviously there's some experienced contradictions here.

What is the best policy? Also note that placing the sealed up fully charged battery in the fridge for 3 months may not be everyone's good feeling of safety, not that there's an issue, but most probably won't do it for that long. Plus the fridge (and all power) may be off for 3 months too

Unless the fridge was completely turned off or the power to the house also. But keeping the battery fully charged like these new batteries won't hurt. The old ones NiCad would be better to not fully charge them and store them away.

Nothing wrong with your way also, as most tech I know would recommend doing that also. But I over the years have tested on my own and come up with this too. I know I use the cooling of the refrigerator for keeping other things in zip-lock bags like fixing USB HDD (note freezer would be used here), keeping printer ink from drying out if the printer is not being used for long periods of times. So that appliance device in the kitchen or wherever can be used for other things like PC related for keeping stuff cool.

 

[kimsland]

But if you leave the battery inside the laptop then inside the case, then in the cupboard.
Then come back after a few days, and remove the battery, its already really cold even colder than ambient temperature

You can test this by taking anything out of the drawer thats been sitting in there in the dark for a long time, its cold

 

[tipstir]

But if you leave the battery inside the laptop then inside the case, then in the cupboard.
Then come back after a few days, and remove the battery, its already really cold even colder than ambient temperature

You can test this by taking anything out of the drawer thats been sitting in there in the dark for a long time, its cold

Well true.. I use to have a shipment of over 1,000 pre-own (used) DELL D600 most of them had dead batteries, faulty HDD, dead or scratched badly LCD panels, and the rest the battery was left in and fully charge for more than 3 months or until I was able to check them out.

I always recommend users to buy or get more than one battery and extra power supply cord. I for one have one 100% fully charged and yes if there is space in the fridge I'll stick in a zip-lock bag and place it in there. You can also freeze them but no need. My wife always wonder why there is printer ink carts and other stuff for the PC in the fridge, but I say it keeps them fresh and last longer! LOL!

 

[LookinAround]

For what it's worth, I'll pass along these links i once found from HP about the care of Lithium Ion batteries
> Lithium-ion battery technology
> Battery information center

Among other things they state

• Store Li-Ion batteries between 20°C and 25°C (68°F and 77°F) with 30% to 50% charge.
• Do not leave batteries exposed to high temperatures for extended periods. Prolonged exposure to heat (for example, inside a hot car) will accelerate the deterioration of Li-Ion cells.
• Remove the battery if the notebook will be stored (turned off and not plugged into AC power) for more than 2 weeks.
• Remove the battery from the notebook if the notebook will be plugged into AC power continuously (via a wall adapter or docking station) for more than 2 weeks

 

[tipstir]

Put in a wall safe and remove the battery and place that cool and dry is another option.

 

[lopdog]

Thanks for all the tips, this is what I did:
I discharged the battery to about 30% (acording to the links provided by LookingAround), took out the battery and stored the laptop and the battery in a laptop bag at room temperature. As far as I can see from the comments that's good enough

 

[strategic]

Listen to supersmashbrada.
Completely discharge the battery and remove it.

 

[hhhh0530]

storage

remove battery and put in your bag

 

[hhhh0530]

of course in a dry place